The Tigers beat Nebraska 5-0 on Sunday, to win their first regular season conference championship and
only the first Big 12 regular season conference title for any Missouri team since women’s
softball in 1997.

Although Missouri (12-4-3) dominated most of the game, it needed a little help from Nebraska to get the scoring started. The first goal
came in the 20th minute when senior Michelle Collins, in an attempt
to set up junior Alysha Bonnick, tapped the ball into the center of the goal
box and a Nebraska defender deflected the ball into Nebraska's goal. Sophomore Candace Ruff scored the second goal in
the 40th minute off of an
assist from junior Kari Adam.

Despite leading 2-0 at halftime, the Tigers never stopped
pressuring the Cornhuskers. Bonnick scored for Missouri in the 50th and 59th minutes and senior Kristin Andrighetto capped off the win
with a goal in the 73rd minute.

Coach Bryan Blitz was pleased with
the team’s overall performance.

“We certainly were efficient in our scoring, and that was
close to our first complete game from the first minute to the last minute,” Blitz said.

Missouri’s defense also had a big hand in today’s win. The
defensive line, led by senior Crystal Wagner, effectively shut down Nebraska’s main
threat, Morgan Marlborough, who managed five shots, two of which were on
goal. Marlborough, a freshman, currently leads the NCAA with 21 goals.

“She’s been on a roll, she’s leading the nation in goals and
we knew that,” Wagner said. “We talked
about it before the game, just staying tight on her, not letting her turn, not
letting her get any shots off, and we did that extremely effectively today, and
it paid off.”

Wagner is one of the seven seniors who have made a mark on
this year’s banner season and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
last week. In the past, Blitz has labeled the current senior class as one of
the most successful in the program’s tenure.

“(These seniors) have a little more experience than some of
the other senior classes with playing and consistently winning, but due to all
my former classes, we’re here,” he said. “I think that’s what sets us apart,
that they were so persistent and they never give up. They’re very businesslike
and they’re very mature and you can say, 'Hey, here’s what’s on the line' and they
don’t really shake from pressure.”

This weekend marked the last regular season home games for
the senior class. The team celebrated senior night with a 3-1 win over Iowa
State on Friday.

“It’s definitely bittersweet, but if I’m going to have to go
out, this is the way to do it, and I’m just so overwhelmed, so happy and so
proud of everyone on the team,” Wagner said.

In its path to winning the Big 12, the team went undefeated
in conference play at 7-0-2 after a somewhat rocky nonconference start.

Although
Blitz said he was happy with his team’s accomplishment, he set a time the team
had to stop celebrating and start getting ready for its last conference
match-up next week against Kansas.

“Certainly to win the Big 12 Conference with a week left,
we’re proud of our kids,” he said. “But again, as we chatted, we want to go and
win at KU, it’s very important for us to do that. So we told them to enjoy it
tonight until 12, after that it’s over with and we have plenty of time
hopefully somewhere down the road when our journey’s done to celebrate.”